Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.

The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.

The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.

The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" />

SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.

“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.

The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.

“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" />

The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.

Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.

The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.

COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" />

“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.

The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.

The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.

Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a>

Joel Robinson

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.

The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.

The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.

SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”

The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" />

The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.

A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.

Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" />

The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.

Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.

The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.

First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;

Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;

The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;

The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;

Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;

Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;

“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;

“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."

Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;

"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.

“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]

Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]

Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.

The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]

More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.
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SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Local Little Bay residents, along with buyers from premium postcodes across Sydney’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, have dominated purchases in developer-builder Urban Property Group’s first Eastern Suburbs apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a>.

The $250 million coastal project, one of the first new developments in the area in several years, has proven particularly popular with downsizers, especially those from Coogee and Bondi. One Double Bay downsizer paid $4.7 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, setting a new local apartment price record in the process.

Buyers have been attracted to the combination of coastal tranquillity, premium design and amenity-rich neighbourhood living. The walkable village setting, along with proximity to three of Sydney’s leading golf courses, New South Wales Golf Club, St Michael’s Golf Club and The Coast Golf Club, has also been a key drawcard.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352689]

Built across two low-rise buildings designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hill-thalis-architecture-urban-projects-pty-ltd">Hill Thalis</a> and set along a lush, landscaped green spine, designed by leading landscape architect <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, ESTE Little Bay offers a collection of one, two, three and four-bedroom residences with interiors by Richards Stanisich.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> Sales Director, Tom McIvor said the response to ESTE has been "nothing short of extraordinary."

“Buyers have been quick to recognise ESTE as a rare opportunity to invest in a coastal sanctuary that offers both seclusion and connectivity to the heart of Sydney,” McIvor said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352687]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">SRM Residential</a> Senior Director, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">Clayton Ross</a> said the local market has responded incredibly well, driven by ESTE’s exceptional location and the rarity it offers.

“We’ve seen strong interest from a variety of buyer groups, all of whom are drawn to the exclusivity and quality of the build and construction by the 4.5-star iCIRT-rated builder / developer, Urban Property Group. There’s truly nothing else like it along Sydney’s coastline.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352690]

The project also includes robust buyer protections, including Resilience Insurance’s Latent Defects Insurance, providing 10 years of structural cover, and an independent iCIRT-rating of the developer.

“The iCIRT-rating adds another layer of confidence,” Ross added. “Buyers see it as a safeguard for their investment and their lifestyle.” A highlight of ESTE’s offering is its exclusive wellness amenities, including a heated rooftop infinity pool and outdoor heated spa, a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness centre, and a sauna.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a> is topped out and is on track to complete towards the end of 2026, with residents moving in before Christmas.

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Eastern Suburbs buyers snap up ESTE Little Bay apartments

Hotel

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The Exchange on Port Melbourne’s Bay Street, close to the Melbourne CBD, has been listed for sale. 
The 39 Bay Street property, located on the corner of Bay Street and Rouse Street, is offered on a WALE of close to seven years.
It comes with street-side dining and a 3am general (late night) license attached.
Formerly home to Molly Blooms, the property has been operated as a pub for over a century.
CBRE Hotels, has it listed in conjunction with CBRE Melbourne Strip Retail Investments. 
The two-story building is fully leased to the Australian Venue Co (AVC), which operates about 150 venues across Australia and New Zealand.
The Exchange hotel is being sold with almost seven years to AVC remaining on their current term, providing annuity income, a 6-month bank guarantee and rental growth through to April 2026 with an additional 5x5 year options taking the lease term to 2051 with all options. 
It is listed with an anticipated yield range of over 5% for its onsite auction on November 29.
 
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Port Melbourne's The Exchange Hotel listed for sale

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Hotelier Julian Gerner will retain ownership of Sorrento's Continental Hotel in a deal struck this week.
It comes after the demise of the proposed project partner, property developer Steller and the failure of recent purchaser LBA Capital to settle.
“I have negotiated an agreement to deliver on the vision to restore, renovate, protect and preserve the 1875 ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ hotel for the Sorrento community, all Victorians, interstate and overseas tourists for generations to come,” Gerner said.
He is targeting a recommencement of construction post Australia Day, 2020.
There is a new ownership entity, The Ocean Amphitheatre Company, named in honour of George Coppin who built the Continental and developed the township of Sorrento.
Hotelier Julian Gerner purchased the property from the Di Pietro family following a sales campaign in 2015.
Gerner then obtained planning and heritage approval for an extensive redevelopment of the 144-year-old heritage-listed hotel, the largest limestone structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
But the project was then shut down given issues regarding the project's partnership.
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Julian Gerner to develop Sorrento's Continental Hotel

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An iconic Northern Territory outback roadhouse, the Top Springs Hotel, has been listed for sale.
The sale is being made by cattle farmer and former reality television star Milton Jones, who featured in Network 10’s Keeping up with the Joneses which ran for a single season between 2010 and 2011.
The remote hotel and pub lies just under 300 kilometres south of Katherine, on the junction of the Buntine and Buchanan Highways.
It has 29 beds available for rent.
The hotel was originally built to service drovers driving cattle on the Buchanan Stock Route from the western side of the Top End through to Queensland, however the primary demographic has changed throughout the years.
“The main clientele is truckies, tourist, road workers and groups servicing the surrounding Indigenous communities such as health and property maintenance workers,” according to the selling agent Olivia Thompson.
The hotel last traded in 2002, when it was sold for $350,000.
It has now been listed with an asking price of $3 million.
 
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Iconic Northern Territory outback roadhouse comes onto the market

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Age Group has announced Ace Hotel, the US lifestyle hotel branded chain, will form part of its Surry Hills project.
Located on Wentworth Avenue and designed by Bates Smart, the 18 storey hotel will be built around Tyne House.
It will feature 264 rooms, a ground floor lobby bar, restaurant and cafe, conference facilities, gymnasium and a rooftop bar and restaurant.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/10/11/Wentworth_Aerial%20Facade_Proposed.jpg" alt="">
Established in 1999, Ace Hotel has cemented itself as a household name in the United States with locations including New York, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Chicago, Seattle, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Portland, as well as London Shoreditch and the soon to open Ace Hotel Kyoto.
“Traditional 5-star hotels are finding it hard to compete with lifestyle-driven hotels which place a greater emphasis on experience, culture and art,” Golden Age Founder and Managing Director Jeff Xu said.
“Cities abroad have been faster to adopt this new trend but Australia is still a young market, and there's a demand for it.
“Ace Hotel is one of the best and draws inspiration from the characteristics of the city they operate in.
“Surry Hills is known for being a culinary hub with a stylish culture and acts as a great canvas to design a hotel from.”
To ensure the hotel caters to the local market, an Australian design firm will be appointed to design the hotel’s interiors and rooftop bar, alongside Atelier Ace, Ace Hotel’s in-house creative and development team.
Golden Age has 10 years of hotel experience, with Ace Hotel marking the group’s first Sydney hotel project.
Ace Hotel Sydney is scheduled to open in 2021. 
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Golden Age Group secures Ace Hotel for Surry Hills project

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Sydney-based fund manager iProsperity and Singapore-based fund manager ZACD Group have announced the acquisition of a portfolio of 23 hotels in Australia from Luxembourg hotel investor, AccorInvest. 
The portfolio comprises 17 hotel properties which have been acquired for AUS $212.6 million.
 The transaction also incorporates six leasehold interests to be transferred subject to various conditions.
The transaction in terms of number of hotels is one of Australia’s largest hotel portfolio sales with 3,046 rooms and across Accor brands comprising MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, ibis and Ibis Budget. 
The hotels are located in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and regional New South Wales.
The transaction was brokered by Craig Collins and Peter Harper of JLL Hotels &amp; Hospitality Group.
iProsperity have been Australia’s most active hotel investor over the last four years.
ZACD are an integrated asset manager listed in Hong Kong and headquartered in Singapore, offering integrated solutions across the real estate value chain.
Co-Founder and CEO, Stanley Yeo commented, “We are delighted to be partnering with iProsperity on this geographically diverse hotel portfolio. We both hold a strong conviction as to the positive outlook for the Australian hospitality market and we see this portfolio as an excellent vehicle to build a meaningful presence in the Australian hotel market.”
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iProsperity and ZACD to acquire 23 AccorInvest hotels

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The long delayed plans for a 55 storey hotel in Bligh Street have now progressed to State Significant Development stage. 
It is amazing that the Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes, in announcing that the Bligh Street project can now be submitted as a State Significant Development, said it had been in "planning purgatory for too long".
It is good news that the project is now more connected to the planning system and hopefully will get planning approval before too long.
The design of the building looks impressive and the sleek 55 storey tower will be a good addition to the Sydney skyline.
On the same day that the Bligh Street hotel moves forward, the plans for the proposed Ritz Carlton Hotel in Pyrmont were being discussed at a public meeting held by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), where the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment argued against the 62 storey hotel project proceeding because it was different to the existing character of Pyrmont.
The Urban Taskforce is concerned that since the publication of the Local Character and Place Guideline in February 2019 the Department of Planning seem to be preferring the preservation of existing local character over bold new visions for the future.
Pyrmont needs to be "taken to the next level" as the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian has recently stated.
The Urban Taskforce presented at the meeting and proposed that the Ritz Carlton Hotel and its associated functions were an ideal project to be the catalyst for a renewal of development in Pyrmont.
With the proposed new fish markets opening up the redevelopment options for the old site will come higher rise development on the peninsula. The Urban Taskforce presentation to the IPC an optimistic future for Pyrmont with significant new development.
Sydney needs more quality hotels and the small planning step forward for the proposed hotel at Bligh Street is good news. This needs to be supported by the IPC approving the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Pyrmont.
CHRIS JOHNSON is the Urban Taskforce CEO.
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Delayed Bligh Street, Sydney hotel plans moving forward: Chris Johnson

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The Port Office Hotel in Brisbane has reopened its doors after repairing the damage caused in January by a fire.
The pub has been at the corner of Edward and Margaret Streets for 155 years. 
According to the owners, Nick and Meagan Gregorski, the fire started in the kitchen of the dining room and almost consumed the entire building.
The historic hotel currently comprises the Port Office Dining Room for lunch and dinner, the Front Bary, and the Colonial Bar located upstairs. 
Originally called the Shamrock Hotel, the hotel opened its doors in 1864. 
The hotel underwent its first of many renovations in 1876 when it was reconstructed as a two-storey masonry building with verandas, designed by James Cowlishaw and built by contractor Charles Midson.
In 1888, the remodelled hotel contained 15 bedrooms, a drawing room, two bathrooms and four public rooms, and was patronised by workers from nearby shipping, industrial and riverside businesses and political operatives.
It experienced its first major flood in 1893, causing extensive damage which called for more works.
The year 1909 saw a change of licensee to John Chillan Cutbush who renamed it the Port Office Hotel. 
In 1955, the hotel was refurbished again this time under the direction of architect Francis Leo Cullen, including the removal of all the verandas, lacework, canopies and chimneystacks and renovation of the interior fittings. 
In 1974, the great Brisbane Flood hit the city, with the Port Office amongst the many casualties.
The hotel survived to undergo further renovations in the 1980s.
In 1992, the Port Office Hotel was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
During the 2011 Brisbane floods, the Port Office Hotel escaped yet another inundation.
Gregorskis bought and refurbished the historic hotel in 2017, turning it into an award-winning gastropub.
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Brisbane heritage pub The Port Office Hotel reopens after fire damage

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Mackay's Coral Cay Resort has been purchased by West Australian-based Facilimate Hotels. 
Located on a large 9,148 square metres site, the hotel at 14-18 Nebo Road comprises 82 one, two and three bedroom apartments, a restaurant, two meeting rooms, a swimming pool, gymnasium, manager's residence and outdoor car parking. 
The sale is evidence that investor sentiment is on the rise in Mackay market, showing signs of recovery following recent mining project approvals, said Managing Director of Facilimate Hotels, Stephen Lauder.
"With the hotel situated between our Brisbane and Cairns hotels, we identified synergies in adding the asset to our portfolio and increasing our footprint in the Queensland market," Lauder. 
This ideal represents the group's third purchase in Queensland, following its acquisition of the Pacific Hotel Cairns and Urban Hotel Brisbane.
It boosts its portfolio of owned and operated assets to six across the ACT, Western Australia and Queensland.
The sale was by embattled fund manager Blue Sky which took a capital loss of about $6 million after Facilitate paid about $10 million.
Blue Sky Residential Asset Managers, an unlisted fund that comes under the umbrella of ASX-listed Blue Sky Alternative Investments Limited, paid $16 millio in May 2013.
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Facilimate Hotels buys Mackay Coral Cay Resort  

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EXPERT OBSERVATION
The long delayed plans for a 55 storey hotel in Bligh Street have now progressed to State Significant Development stage. 
It is amazing that the Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes, in announcing that the Bligh Street project can now be submitted as a State Significant Development, said it had been in ‘planning purgatory' for too long.
It is good news that the project is now more connected to the planning system and hopefully will get planning approval before too long.
The design of the building looks impressive and the sleek 55 storey tower will be a good addition to the Sydney skyline.
On the same day that the Bligh Street hotel moves forward, the plans for the proposed Ritz Carlton Hotel in Pyrmont were being discussed at a public meeting held by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), where the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment argued against the 62 storey hotel project proceeding because it was different to the existing character of Pyrmont.
The Urban Taskforce is concerned that since the publication of the ‘Local Character and Place Guideline’ in February 2019 the Department of Planning seem to be preferring the preservation of existing local character over bold new visions for the future.
Pyrmont needs to be ‘taken to the next level’ as the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian has recently stated.
The Urban Taskforce presented at the meeting and proposed that the Ritz Carlton Hotel and its associated functions were an ideal project to be the catalyst for a renewal of development in Pyrmont.
With the proposed new fish markets opening up the redevelopment options for the old site will come higher rise development on the peninsula. The Urban Taskforce presentation to the IPC an optimistic future for Pyrmont with significant new development.
Sydney needs more quality hotels and the small planning step forward for the proposed hotel at Bligh Street is good news. This needs to be supported by the IPC approving the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Pyrmont.
Chris Johnson is the CEO of The Urban Taskforce.
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Progress on Bligh Street Hotel is good news: Chris Johnson 

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The landmark Surry Hills building, home to the White Horse Hotel, has been listed for sale.
The property at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-hotel+leisure-nsw-surry+hills-503293630" target="_blank">381 Crown Street</a> was constructed in the 1930s, around the time a tram ran along the now bustling bar and restaurant street.
In 2004 the building underwent a refurbishment which saw a sculpture crafted by Scottish sculptor Andy Scott of a galvanised steel silver stallion lifted on to the roof.
The sculpture was made in Scotland, cut into pieces, shipped to Australia and then reconstructed on the roof, which once caved in in the 1990s after a strong hailstorm.
A new bar and brasserie was installed.
Precision Group then paid $7.5 million for the building in 2005.
Precision Group updated the whole building in 2014, calling on designer Matt Woods who commissioned local artists such as Ben Morris to decorate the walls in the downstairs section with murals around the theme "café racer-inspired" bar.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/8/20/White%20Horse%20Hotel%20Mural.jpg" alt="">
The three storey building has a rental income of $505,039 per annum under a seven year investment grade lease.
Savills agent Tony Bargwanna is running an expressions of interest campaign closing September 25.
The property comprises a main bar and kitchen at ground level, bar with open deck and bar and lounge/function room on the first floor and offices and storeroom on the second floor.
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